


Loose Ends

by LadyJaye



Series: Ache For You [1]
Category: Black Panther (2018), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, BAMF Tony Stark, Canon Divergence - Captain America: Civil War (Movie), M/M, Mating Bond, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Protective T'Challa, Sokovia Accords, T'Challa is a good alpha, only a little bit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2016-08-04
Packaged: 2018-07-29 09:18:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7678876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyJaye/pseuds/LadyJaye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony goes into a meeting with Ross alone to finish what they started together. T'Challa gets growly and Tony worries for their future.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Loose Ends

**Author's Note:**

> This is me taking a shot at IronPanther, which I've completely gone and fallen in love with, God help me. So long Stony. Bye bye WinterIron. Well, probably not for long but I can't get over how much these two sparkle. I hope you enjoy!

Rules of this particular ABO universe:

Bonds without marks can fade or be broken under extreme emotional duress. Meaning something extremely emotionally damaging between two bonded can cause it to break. A broken bond can take months to heal properly and causes a good amount of emotional instability. A mating bite or marking solidifies the bond and without it a bonded pair runs the risk of their bond being broken. It’s pretty rare to be bonded and not marked for very long. The compulsion to do so gets stronger the longer the bond exists.

Tony and Steve were bonded for 5 years and moving towards marking each other after their relationship setback during Ultron. Steve and Bucky were also bonded but not marked and Steve had been struggling with severe withdrawals since he was unfrozen that he was working through until he discovered that Bucky was alive. A bond is basically a measure of compatibility. You can be compatible on several levels ranging from familial to friendship to partnership and love.

*****************

Timeline:

Set 3 years after CA:CW

*******************

Tony Stark had made a lot of mistakes in his life. The world never ceased to remind him of them. Sokovia, Leipzig, Johannesburg, New York. He repeated the list often enough on his own without reminders. He tapped a beat against the leather upholstery of the chair in which he sat. Cataloging his surroundings. Brown leather chair, mahogany desk, thimble on the right hand corner, immaculately ordered stationary. The rug in the office was a deep navy blue and he had to avoid looking at it so often lest he lapse into another memory of Steve’s uniform stretching across muscles so powerful and capable of holding him up but with a much appreciated preference of tearing him down. He glanced back up before his train of thoughts could slip. Staring straight into Thaddeus Ross’ grimace Tony parted his lips to speak before closing them again. Ross was disheveled to say the least and most kind.

He looked peaky and defeated, his shoulders sloping forward with his arms resting on the table. One hand grasped a pen too tightly while the other gripped one of the small patches of hair left on his head. Either way, both hands shook, barely concealing the rage he probably thought he had neatly tucked away. The rage Tony thought he could control at one point.

His hand slid from his hair to the back of his neck.

“Are you even listening, Stark?” His words were meant to bark and bite. Tony raised an eyebrow and set in place his carefully innocent smile.

“Of course. You were saying Mr. Ross?” He replied. Ross growled deep, his alpha instincts obviously kicking into overdrive at the disappearance of his title, well officially in two days time, his power that he no longer had to lord over anyone. His resignation was due in 48 hours and until then he was under a sort of house arrest guarded until then. There was an answering growl behind Tony, on the other side of the closed office door, and his smile deepened along with a slight tingle that ran down his spine.

“You think you’ve won,” Ross states plainly and Tony shrugs offhandedly. “You got me out of my job, took my research, got your buddies pardoned, finagled your way into a prime position within the UN. Not bad for an omega. Do you think it’ll get easier from here? Do you think your friends will thank you much less forgive you?”

Tony bared his teeth but it was T’Challa’s growl from the hall that initially responded. Tony settled for a smirk at the once powerful Secretary of State. He was right. He did do all of that, not completely by himself, but slowly he’d pulled all the evidence he needed on Ross together to release anonymously, not that there was much doubt about who could pull it off. And now after two years of investigation and hearings Ross was finally on his way out of the picture.

His labs and research projects were seized and under current investigation. He had amended the Accords with the leverage from Ross’ downfall and the government’s desire to keep things as quiet as possible, but Ross still had his usefulness yet. The investigation so far only put him out of a job. It wasn’t enough. He needed proof of the Raft. It was his last card left to play. And he couldn’t resist trying to twist that knife.

“Do you wonder about that yourself?” Tony asked. Ross’s frown deepened. Tony leaned forward towards the desk and tilted the gilded framed photo of Betty Ross with what could have been her first science kit open on a wood floor. It figures that the only picture of her in his office would have been of her acting out what she could do for her father in the future.

“Will Elisabeth ever forgive you for what you’ve done?” Tony asked. “Do you think she thanks her lucky stars that her father is the type of man to illegally imprison not one but several people including the once love of her life?”

“Is that why she changed her name?” Tony asked to Ross’ silence. “I’m kind of jealous. I had the same idea myself once. I couldn’t pull the trigger. I would have missed Rhodey’s snoring when I got back to MIT.”

“What do you want Stark?” There was venom in his voice and Tony supposed this was where the “Thunderbolt” nickname probably came from.

That deep alpha rumble that should have sent shivers across any omega’s skin and had them offering their neck in submission. Tony inhaled deeply at the scent of distress beginning to slide off Ross in waves. He hadn’t known the man still cared for Betty that way. He’d honestly come here with his one last bullet for Ross thinking it was a dud. Now, he wasn’t so sure.

Tony sat up straighter in his chair locked his gaze with Ross one last time. He reminded himself that he needed this, the team did, Bruce did, and perhaps he really wouldn’t completely fail this time.

“The Raft,” Tony said simply. “I want the location.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ross said. He had that blank stare that he used in his hearings. Denying with everything he had that he knew about the prison Tony released information on. “If that’s all-“

“That’s not all. I wasn’t finished,” Tony snapped. “I want all of your records on the Raft, prisoner manifests, security footage, crew manifest, everything. I want to know who built it. I want to know where the funding came from to build it.”

“I suppose you’d like me to wrap myself up and put a bow on my head to be presented to the Senate, too?” Ross snarked back. Tony rubbed a hand down his face and said point blank.

“I have been authorized to give you one meeting with your daughter. Two hours. That’s 120 minutes. 7200 seconds that you get with her that she has agreed to give you.”

The offer hung in the air between them. The scent of distress increased exponentially to the point where although all doubt began to leave Tony’s mind about finally being able to put this to rest, sympathy edged around the coldness he had for Ross. He had to grip the arms of the chair to stay seated and silently cursed his biology. It made him sick to yearn to take care of Ross. They had no bond to speak of. Not even the camaraderie of colleagues. He stared at Ross until the man broke, his eyes downcast and his head bobbing in a nod. Perhaps most unsurprising, T’Challa opened the door and walked in before Tony was on his feet. Who said kings were above eavesdropping?

The King of Wakanda immediately took his hand in a firm handshake to which Tony rolled his eyes. He knew T’Challa needed the comfort and it was a stopgap measure before they left and T’Challa could reassure himself even further behind closed doors. He would be lying though if it didn’t also soothe him to feel T’Challa’s fingers close around his, index finger rubbing gently across his wrist before breaking contact. T’Challa glowered at his eye roll and Tony winked at him. The handshake was just such a poor cover up not that he minded. He needed the comfort, too. A subtle reminder of who his alpha was and a mask of Ross’ scent was welcome. He’d rather T’Challa just get his fervent pat down over with.

Ross huffed at their handshake and the lack of offered hand from T’Challa. The dark skinned man quickly pulled the documents from his briefcase and laid them out in front of Ross, explaining all of the legal jargon Tony normally didn’t listen to in meetings. He waited until T’Challa outlined the explicit terms of giving over his information in 24 hours, or the deal was null and void, before speaking.

“We need a witness, your highness,” Tony said. T’Challa nodded. Ross signed his agreement and slid it forward to Tony, who began initialing and signing with a flourish.

“She won’t forgive me,” Ross said suddenly. Tony finished signing the last page and handed it to T’Challa. Ross’ eyes seemed haunted when he looks at them. Sullen in his defeat.

“Betty will never forgive me. I know that. You know it, too. About them. Your so-called team. There are some things that just can’t be fixed.”

“I don’t need their forgiveness,” Tony said. Perhaps in the beginning he had fought Ross in the political sphere for forgiveness but no longer.

Once finished T’Challa held them in his hands checking each signature in a matter of seconds. Seemingly unable to resist, T’Challa’s hand pressed in the small of Tony’s back and moved in circles. There was no other communication between them, the silent strength enough. He can smell T’Challa’s scent clearly over Ross’s, warm and earthy with an undercurrent of cinnamon.

“I don’t even need their thanks. Not after this. Not anymore,” Tony finished. “We’re finished here.”

*********

With the documents in hand the pair left Ross’ office for what T’Challa hoped would be the final time. Two guards passed them while they entered the room and sent them wary looks at the distressed alpha scent still lingering. The alpha quirked an eyebrow at that wondering just what his bonded had done to cause such distress in his enemy. Most would think it unbecoming of an omega but more often than not Tony’s strength intrigued him.

As they passed the second set of beta guards T’Challa noticed Tony slow down. Were Tony’s hands shaking? He slowed his pace and wrapped an arm around his bonded’s waist while they walked. Tony trembled next to him with his eyes squeezed shut as if in pain, his hands shaking and, sweat dampening the curls at his forehead and neck. Around the corner six women of the Dora Milaje approached concernedly. He gasped beside him while T’Challa guided him to a seat handing off his briefcase to one of the Doras as he went. With a curt nod the woman turned with her back to them. The others followed creating a half circle around them providing a modicum of privacy.

“Slowly, Tony,” T’Challa said softly. Tony opened his eyes to T’Challa on his knees in front of him. His fingers pried Tony’s from his kneecaps preventing any damage. Tony let his forehead rest against T’Challa’s and the tightness in his expression lessened minutely.

“You’re alright, you’re safe, I have you.”

Tony nodded against him, inhaling deeply, slowly pulling in T’Challa’s pure scent as more tension began to drain away.

“I thought you would be relieved,” T’Challa said. His eyes raked over his lover checking his symptoms. His bout of anxiety seemed to have faded even though it seemed that each time he closed his eyes he winced and opened them again.

“I am,” Tony answered him, his voice small. T’Challa pulled back to look him in the eyes. His hands traced him from his chest to his jaw.

“Then what is wrong?”

“Ross got me thinking about forgiveness and I thought about Steve,” Tony murmured. T’Challa’s eyes narrowed slightly, his expression grew dark enough that he had Tony rushing to explain.

In their brief time together working to amend the Accords and bring in Ross he became more than acquainted with their relationship. How Tony and Steve had bonded after New York but put off any significant marking until Steve was completely ready to devote himself to Tony.

How at first Tony had understood. After all, when they met the Captain had been bonded to his best friend Bucky Barnes before his untimely death and to the Captain it had been months ago rather than years. The marking had been put on hold until just before the Ultron debacle when the Avengers had not only been celebrating Hydra’s demise and regaining the Tesseract but also that marking was to occur not too long after for their friends.

How Steve had asked for space after and how Tony had been left to go through a bond withdrawal in his absence. How they had drifted apart while the Captain chased his former friend all the while reassuring Tony that he was coming home to him. How he proved that reassurance false when he not only found his former bonded but nearly killed Tony in trying to protect him. Tony had told him once after jolting straight up in bed one night after a nightmare that he felt the bond break not during the fight but when Captain Rogers admitted he had lied. Not only about the deaths of Howard and Maria Stark but that he had been feeling closer to Bucky since he found him in DC.

The gall of him leading Tony on to believe that their bond was true had T’Challa wanting to slice him open each time he saw him walking through the palace. Trust was hard for Tony and the young king felt for him just based on his own experiences. Even in his own country his companionship was sought by business families seeking to marry off their children and ensure their future. Outside of the daughters of the Doras he rarely knew friend from enterprising opportunists fast enough to keep himself from getting hurt. Especially when he was sent abroad for schooling. Once he learned how much of a trend he had become to many of the people on campus, so eager to be friends with a prince but unlikely to know much else about him, he kept to his studies.

“Not like that! I meant what I said. I don’t need his forgiveness any more,” Tony said with a heavy sigh. T’Challa relaxed and was glad to see the last bit of tension in his love ease away.

“I know we’ll have to clear the air and I’ll apologize for my part in all of this but I don’t crave it like that especially now that our bond is broken. They’ll still be coming home sooner rather than later. I don’t know if I’m ready for that. It’s…stupid. Every time I try…every time…it ends wrong. What if I fucked this up, too?”

T’Challa’s jaw clenched at the sight of sadness in Tony’s eyes. He thought the strides he had made to overcome his overwhelming guilt, for Ultron and the resulting Accords that had set a precedent for Ross to build upon and strike out against inhumans and mutants alike, had been more profound.

After all it was after Ross’ strikes against the two groups that Tony had reached out to him insisting that they were still allies and admitting that he couldn’t do it alone. That there was still good they could do together. Ever the mechanic trying to fix things even while he himself was still broken. T’Challa reached out and brushed a stray curl from Tony’s eyes.

“I’m so proud of you,” T’Challa said with a wide smile. Tony shook his head and looked away. Gently T’Challa gripped his chin and pulled him back to look into his eyes.

“You have done _everything_ you could and even more than we had planned. You got Ross and the location of the Raft is on the way. You did that. You have more than paid any debt you think you owe. We can go home, now. Let us go home,” T’Challa said, softly. He eased forward and lightly brushed their lips together leaving it to Tony to decide whether to push further. Tony smiled into the kiss and inched forward, pressing himself more firmly against T’Challa’s warmth.

“You’re right, let’s go home,” Tony said and T’Challa shook his head.

“It is not enough for you to say it.”

The smile he got in return was warmer and closer to their early morning embraces. “I know.”

T’Challa backed away and Tony stood on his own. He rolled his shoulders into that confident stance that belied so much more to T’Challa and took his offered hand.

 

**Author's Note:**

> This is meant as a one shot but a sequel is coming over the next three days or so. It'll be rated M and will actually feature Steve and the others.


End file.
